Pakistan briefed on Afghan offensive

Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal testifies before a House Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on Afghanistan, in Washington on December 10, 2009. UPI/Kevin Dietsch | License Photo

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Pakistani military officials briefed U.S. commanders on the progress of security efforts in the tribal provinces ahead of a massive offensive in Afghanistan.

Pakistani Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met with U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal and James Jones, the U.S. national security adviser, ahead of an international assault in Afghan's Helmand province.

Kayani stressed that all U.S. and NATO military action in the region should remain on the Afghan side of the border, Pakistan's Dawn news agency reports. He added that U.S. military officials should share intelligence information with Pakistani security forces as well.

American and British troops are on the brink of Operation Moshtarak, Dari for "together," which they describe as the largest military offensive in years. A corresponding air campaign is expected to rival the U.S. air offensive on Baghdad during the Persian Gulf War.

U.S. President Barack Obama in December committed an additional 30,000 American troops to the Afghan war. NATO forces responded with commitments of 7,000 additional soldiers.

Pakistan, for its part, launched operations in the tribal provinces along the Afghan border in October. Kayani said it was important for U.S. military officials to step up border security ahead of the offensive in order to prevent militants from streaming across the border and destabilizing the region further.